PM Lee defends PAP involvement in PA
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday that the People's Association's (PA) grassroots organisations, as part of the government, require "somebody who is working on behalf of the government".
He was defending the practice of appointing members of the ruling People's Action Party as advisers of the statutory board's some 1,800 grassroots organisations.
"It's like having a Ministry of Education. The civil servants are impartial, are neutral, but the minister is a government minister. Or the Minister for Health, or, for that matter, the CDC mayor -- he is a government person," he said.
"And so, the grassroots adviser has to be somebody who can work with the government and help the government to achieve its goals on the ground. I think that's necessary," he was quoted by The Straits Times as saying.
Lee, on the sidelines of a ceremony to appoint district councillors under the Central Singapore CDC, was responding to media queries about the recent spat between PA and Members of Parliament (MP) from the Workers' Party over use of public sites in Hougang single member constituency and Aljunied group representation constituency (GRC).
The matter sparked public debate as to whether the PAP government should appoint its candidates as PA grassroots adverse in all constituencies, even the ones that they lost in elections.
The PA has also sent two letters to the media, stating that "it is not possible" to appoint opposition MPs as advisers, because it cannot ask opposition MPs to help the government connect better with the people, or be able to help explain, implement and improve its policies.
"I cleared those letters so I think that is the position," said Lee.
The Prime Minister, who is also MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, emphasised that PA's work is non-political. Grassroots advisers administer government programs such as ComCare as well as "some things which are not always nice", such as the carrying out of public works wherein residents will be affected.
"Then it falls to the grassroots to be the interface, to work with the people to try and help to minimise the impact but at the same time, ultimately, what has to be done has to be done," he said.
"So these are really government functions."
He added that the MP's role is a different one -- running the town council. The government would involve him on issues such as bursary payouts and town council rebates.
"So between the MP and the adviser, if they are different people, then residents will be properly served. I think it has to work like that," he said.
